jediknight83 Posted July 25, 2007 Author Report Share Posted July 25, 2007 no different Yellow GT although you are correct. Pauls has just been repaired Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jediknight83 Posted July 25, 2007 Author Report Share Posted July 25, 2007 Finally today was the other silver CGT i look after. This had been polished before the paint shield was applied a few weeks back now so today was just a case of washing, HD Cleanse, Vintage 61% carnauba wax. Again the AB Foam Lance was used and the foam left to dwell for a few minutes. Wheels were cleaned with Autoglyms Acid Free Wheel Cleaner (Custom Wheels in the shops), Rubber marks were sprayed with Autoglym Tar and Adhesive remover and wiped clean with MF cloths. Tyres dressed with a water based non slip non greasy dressing that doesnt last very long but looks good for when i leave the car and even when its worn off it leaves a nice dry natural look to the tyre and is perfect for cars that are also used on track where owners are concerned about other dressings causing the tyre to slip when pushing hard. Thanks for looking. DB7 to come on Friday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Tone_ Posted July 27, 2007 Report Share Posted July 27, 2007 I just cant imagine owning a car like that - but then when I was told I would never amount to anything by my ma when I failed my a-levels I still did ok - now where is that lottery ticket... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jediknight83 Posted July 28, 2007 Author Report Share Posted July 28, 2007 What a long day. Left the house at 7am and got back at 11:15pm. The car didnt look too dirty upon arrival but during the wash process the owner got to see just home dirty it actually was. Pre wash with Autoglym PM3, Shampoo, Clay and the paint was already looking much more reflective. As the sun shone through the trees you could see the swirls clearly and even in low light the paint was looking amazingly dull and flat in places. Inside and undert the lights.... oh dear! And i've noticed since getting home that the camera hasnt shown just how bad the car was!! So after testing all the polishes i got upto ip3.02 on a polishing pad which did the trick. wet sanded a couple of areas on the bonnet and wing and then set round polishing the whole car bit by bit. The menzerna polish behaved perfectly today which meant although it was a long tiring day.. it wasnt a frustrating one. Most panels corrected with 1 hit although i passed 3-4 times at 1800rpm and then about 10 at 1500 and a further 10 at 1300 to get a crisp finish with one hit. Action shot.. Before wing After wing Before boot After boot (annoying very deep scratch just where i had set the camera up for a photo. this was improved afer a second hit but not fully removed) Before rear wing After rear wing Once polishing was complete car was rinsed down again to get all the dust and residue out of gaps, then dried, Paint Cleased with HD Cleanse and waxed with 61% Vintage wax. Glass, dressings, leather, final wipe down. Must say yet again how thankfull i am for the hospitality of my customers. Tea, buscuits, chocolate, chicken pie for dinner etc!! And now for the finished shots.. unfortunately it was a bit dark by now! Thanks for looking Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rachel Posted July 28, 2007 Report Share Posted July 28, 2007 Nathan, How often can you hit a car with the buffing discs and cutting/polishing compounds before the clear coat (and god forbid - the paint) needs to be redone in a spray shop? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jediknight83 Posted July 28, 2007 Author Report Share Posted July 28, 2007 it can be done a few times as it only takes of a few microns out of about 40-60 microns of lacquer but if a car is looked after once its been polished there is no reason it will need it again Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soundwave Posted July 30, 2007 Report Share Posted July 30, 2007 Wow Nath, that Aston came up awesome, just awesome! I've just bought an S8 so could be giving you a buzz soon.. The Golf dont look too clean either! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
techieboy Posted July 30, 2007 Report Share Posted July 30, 2007 [ QUOTE ] I've just bought an S8 so could be giving you a buzz soon.. [/ QUOTE ] S8 - you old devil! That's what you get for coming to MK meets and having to park next to all of those 8's! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soundwave Posted July 30, 2007 Report Share Posted July 30, 2007 Ah well, I never really felt like one of the big boys..just a pretender, well I shall pretend no more! muhahahaha.. Seriously, after test driving it, I just had to have it..one of the last S8 Final Edition models with 55k on the clock. It did have a driveshaft oil leak though which I noticed after the test drive whereby oil was burning off the left cat (apparently quite common according to NikW, happened to RichardW after just 45k), and I am currently waiting for that to be fixed. Fingers crossed, I can get to the meet in it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
burble Posted July 31, 2007 Report Share Posted July 31, 2007 I'm looking forward to seeing pics of my .:R32 in this thread after Nathan has worked his magic at the end of September Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jediknight83 Posted August 5, 2007 Author Report Share Posted August 5, 2007 Busy week again this week. Monday BMW Z3 Wednesday Porsche 996, 997, 997 Thursday Alpina B5 Friday Audi TT Saturday finish Alpina B5 The porsche's were topups so no photos of those and i'll do a separte thread for the aplina but here are the write ups and photos of the others.. The BMW Z3 had just be purchsed and the new owner wanted it detailing as it was looking a bit dull. He drove up from Tunbridge Well and left the car with me for the day. Before washing the hood was vacuumed, shampoo'd and rinshed then after the wash it was sealed with the autoglym hood kit. Once washed (PM3 foamed, Shampoo, Clay, Dry) the swirls were looking pretty darn bad! As the sun was REALLY hot today (about time!! seems summer has finnaly started just as its technically about to end!) it was out with my small but helpfull 3m x 3m gazebo. IP3.02 on a polishing pad didnt quite cut the mustard.. or indeed swirls so i stepped up to the cutting pad and this did the job with 1 pass on most areas and 2 passes on most of the bonet which seemed the worst swirled. 2 passes to spead, about 10 passes at 1800 and then 10 at 1500rpm and the swirls were 99% gone and the best thing.. no holograms in direct sun and no micromaring.. a benefit of the hard BMW paint i presume. Before and after shots.. Before After It still took about 5 hrs polishing even though the car was so small. Then the premium paint cleanse by machine and 61% Vintage wax. Rinse and wipe down, Glass, interior, leather, dressings and all done by 7pm ready to collect the owner who had spent the day in town. Photos The TT was a new car and the owner had instructed Milton Keynes Audi not to wash the car.. and to their credit the car was dirty and swirl free... well done audi.. have a buscuit :thumb: Pre was with PM3 through the AB foam lance Shampoo, wheels, rinsed and dried as fast as possible before the sun got really hot. Up with the gazebo again to shade the car as much as possible although the ambient temp was really getting up!! Premium paint cleanse by machine and 61% Vintage wax, Dressings, glass etc. Then annoyingly enough the sun decided to hide when it came to photo time.. but the car really did shine! Thanks for looking.. will do the alpina write up now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jediknight83 Posted August 5, 2007 Author Report Share Posted August 5, 2007 The Alpina B5 is a E60 shape 5 series with a 4.4 Supercharged V8. Only down side according to reviews i read was lack of LSD but this is booked in to have one retro fitted asap. Anyway.. this is a second hand 06 car and needed bringing up to standard. Upon arrival. During the PM3 foam process In the low light of the morning i thought there werent that many swirls to contend with.. Once clayed and inside under the lights though it was fairly bad and was clear it had been machined in the past with pretty bad buffer trails especially over the roof (which was tough for me to reach and im 6'4). Paint corrected very very nicely with 1-2 hits of ip3.01 on a polishing pad. Before swirls After polishing By the time i had finished polishing this huge car i was pretty exhausted and it was pretty late and as it could be kept inside for a few days i agreed with the owner to return later in the week to complete.. .. this occured saturday morning when the paint was cleansed and waxed with the 61% Vintage wax. And this was howed it looked once complete.. And outside... in the sun to show the defect correction.. and yes i did notice slight wax hologramming which was buffed off again when it was back in the cooler garage. Thanks for looking Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wyliss Posted August 5, 2007 Report Share Posted August 5, 2007 Hi, Looking into getting a kb lance, would you say pm3 is best as a prewash first (by the way what does pm3 stand for, who makes it?). Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luke Posted August 5, 2007 Report Share Posted August 5, 2007 Wow the BM Alpina did brush up well, looks fantastic in the sun, top job as always Nathan. Great write up Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drpellypo Posted August 6, 2007 Report Share Posted August 6, 2007 Nathan - your work is truly stunning. It never fails to impress! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alastair_A3 Posted August 6, 2007 Report Share Posted August 6, 2007 That Alpina B5 looks sensational! Not poor that guy is he? He seems to have lots of cars! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jediknight83 Posted August 8, 2007 Author Report Share Posted August 8, 2007 Another black swirly car today... and yet again been subjected to an automated car wash by the previous owner. It was so bad that even in the shade you could see the scratches when standing a couple of feet away from the car! So left the house at 8am a bit later than planned. Foam pre wash with AG PM3 Wheels with AG Acid Free Shampoo with AG Clay to remove lots of red paint flecks with Sonus Green Machine with ip3.02 on megs polishing pad After the wash and clay pics of defects.. After polishing and checking in the sun for holograms... of which there was none :thumb: Another before and after Working round the car making sure as many of the marks were polished out took about 7 hours and even then some of the deeper ones remained but the level of correction was pretty amazing considering how it was. Paint cleanse and 61% vintage wax was applied and removed with the help of the owner (otherwise i would have finished int he dark!) Final pics in low light with a tripod Walked back in the door at home at 10:30pm job done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J_C Posted August 8, 2007 Report Share Posted August 8, 2007 Excellent results once again I will show these pictures to my boss - he recently bought a grey 350Z and is just starting to get the detailing bug (nothing to do with me, honest! ) His car is nowhere near as badly swirled as that though. Those pictures just go to prove that automated car washes are the work of Satan. Did you follow the IP with a finishing polish? How much easier is this sort of correction on Japanese cars than with hard German clearcoats? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jediknight83 Posted August 8, 2007 Author Report Share Posted August 8, 2007 no.. i find the ip breaks down perfectly if yo work it long enough.. 20 passes or so does the trick. I tried som 106ff on a section and didnt feel it added anything to the finish but a whole load extra work so just went for the on hit with IP but checking carefully it was breaking down each time. the jap cars are easier to correct but harder to to get holograms or marring. my favorite paint in porsche paint. corrects relativley easy and isnt fussy and doesnt marr or hologram Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drpellypo Posted August 9, 2007 Report Share Posted August 9, 2007 How are you applying hd cleanse by machine Nathan? Just using a finishing pad, and working it until it's dry? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Tone_ Posted August 9, 2007 Report Share Posted August 9, 2007 Really good work there Nathan - that 350Z was in bad nick - amazing what you can do! Tone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jediknight83 Posted August 16, 2007 Author Report Share Posted August 16, 2007 Morning.. Another long day yesterday. Left the house later than planned and thus hit the traffic on my way to the job. Saw that funny Scrubbers van on the way though which cheered me up! http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=40826 The job was on an 'unnamed road' and didnt have a house number so the satnav took me to the middle of the road.. As i was driving down it trying to see the house names i saw a house with 3 amazing cars outside (but not the Vanquish) and just though.. ooh nice.. maybe i'll pop a card through their door when i leave tonight. Upon closer inspection that was the house i was looking for and and Vanquish was tucked away in the double garage The car was fitted with some lovely 20" Asanti custom wheels with the centres painted body colour and it also had thicker mesh in the bonnet vents and grill making it look that bit more special. Quickly got on with the job. Pre wash with PM3 via the foam lance Wheels, Shampoo, Clay, Tape up, PTG check showing about 200 on the roof and 140 everywhere else. Under the lights you could see faint swirls and also some light buffer trails. A chat with the customer revealed it had been machined before by his previous valeter. Menzerna 106ff on a megs polishing pad removed what swirls were there and also finished down perfectly to leave a hologram / buffer trail free finish. Worth a mention that Menzerna was behaving itself again on a damp day! When its good.. its very good... when its bad...... The polished paint Once all polishing was complete at about 5:30pm the paint was treated with the premium paint cleanse including the wheels. The i applied a coat of the Vintage wax via foam pad to the whole car before starting to buff off. I found it a little harder to buff than usual but the up side as FAR less wax holograms after the first buff and none after a quick second wipe an hour later. Wheels were also waxed. The wax curing Then the glass was cleaned, tyres and arches dressed, interior vac'd, wiped and leather conditioned Was 10pm and very dark once i finished so no stunning daylight shots.. but im going back to do the other cars and also will be doing a monthly maintenance on the vanquish so will have chance to get daylight shots later. One of the other cars im returing to do is a 700+ bhp Corvett The finished pics of the Vanquish on and lastly... i took this on my phone... possibly the COOLEST bathroom tap in the whole world. touch sensitive on/off and temp controll and the led colour changes as the temp changes! thanks, Nathan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rachel Posted August 16, 2007 Report Share Posted August 16, 2007 Awesome as always Nathan. Was the white spotting you see in some of the photos due to fleck in the paint or paint damage from the car actually being driven (hard)? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jediknight83 Posted August 16, 2007 Author Report Share Posted August 16, 2007 in the early photos it may be dust from the polish but the finished ones it will be paint fleck as there were no stone chips on the car Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jez Posted August 16, 2007 Report Share Posted August 16, 2007 The Aston looks fantastic but it appears to have bicycle reflectors in the rear bumper, are these standard on Astons ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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